cstockdale
supafly killa homey
BrettMckinney said:
Moskus is right on this one: you don't need your output cranked to "full" to get a picture of what is being recorded, that is the whole purpose of the gain staging I outlined earlier in either this thread or another one you started on this topic in one of the other forums.
Option 1: If you are tracking using the method most recently outlined (ie using the Tape Ins and setting up the AP2496 Monitor Mixer), turn your headphones down to a comfortable level, and if the input signal is too loud relative to the stuff already recorded, then adjust this level in the Monitor Mixer of the AP2496 (ie. turn down the HW In 1/2 signal), and if your input signal is too weak, turn down the level on the HW Wavout 1/2.
Option 2: If you are tracking using the Aux send method and have your monitoring mix coming into the Berhinger in say channel 5/6, then don't adjust the level of the Input signal at all, but adjust the 5/6 level to get them balanced and use the headphone/control room volume to make the headphones a comfortable level.
If using option 1, set the Main Out on the Behringer mixer so that the meters on the board are not clipping but are going as high as possible. If using Option 2, set your Mains at unity.
If you continue to do your tracking and mixing with your headphones on "full" you are going to be deaf in a few years. This is where you have to pay attention to the level meters in SONAR to make sure all your tracks are hot enough, and the mastering process is where you go through the iterations necessary to finalize your mix, but that is well down the line at this stage. Right now, the whole point is to make sure you are recording the hottest signals possible and are able to monitor what goes in and out of the AP2496 card.